Chapter 40: Agony

"Impressive~ Dylan is truly impressive~!"

Ash's eyes sparkled when he saw Blastoise's Hydro Pump finally hit Arbok.

"Indeed, Blastoise's shell defense is excellent, making Arbok's fierce attack nearly ineffective," Brock praised. Blastoise's ability to counterattack was due to its shell blocking Arbok's assault.

"But this Arbok is also very strong. I've never seen an Arbok raised this well," Misty chimed in, blinking in amazement.

She knew that Agatha, one of the Elite Four, also had an Arbok, reportedly quite special, but Misty had never seen it herself. Undoubtedly, this Dylan Arbok's was the strongest she'd ever seen.

The recent ambush was incredibly fast! If it were her Starmie, it might not have reacted in time and would have been hit.

"But Red will definitely win!" Ash had absolute confidence in his brother.

"Without breaking through Blastoise's shell, Arbok indeed has little chance," Brock mused, knowing Arbok wasn't adept at special attacks. The earlier clash of Sludge Bomb and Hydro Pump proved that Arbok's physical attacks couldn't penetrate Blastoise's shell and thus couldn't cause much damage.

On the surface, Arbok seemed to have no chance, which was reasonable.

"You can't be sure. Dylan has said he's actually better at using poison," Leah's beautiful eyes sparkled slightly, and she spoke with a smile.

Yes, that's a significant variable!

Brock looked at Dylan curiously. Poison-type trainers were very rare, and he was eager to see how Dylan would perform.

...

On the battlefield.

"Blastoise! Water Spout!"

Red slightly lowered his cap, his red eyes under the brim fixed on Arbok, and he initiated the attack.

Blastoise opened its mouth, blue light flashing, and then sprayed a massive amount of water, surging towards Arbok like a flood.

The exaggerated water volume shocked many onlookers.

Water-type Water Spout! It's one of Blastoise's inherited moves, known for its powerful special attack because its power depends on the user's stamina.

In its current good state, Blastoise's Water Spout was exceptionally powerful, nearly covering half the battlefield and leaving Arbok almost no room to dodge.

"Dig," Dylan chuckled.

Arbok's cold eyes stared at Blastoise behind the water, then suddenly burrowed underground.

Ground-type Dig! As the name suggests, it allows the user to dig underground.

The water from Water Spout flooded Arbok's previous position, with much of it flowing into the dug hole, but it clearly didn't affect Arbok.

On the battlefield's surface, only Blastoise was visible.

"Rapid Spin!"

Red's eyes flashed. The best way to counter Dig was with Earthquake, but Blastoise hadn't learned that move yet.

So it was simple.

Blastoise retracted its limbs and spun rapidly, rising into the air.

"Arbok!"

A four-meter-long purple cobra suddenly sprang from the ground beneath Blastoise, lunging at it.

Arbok was also enveloped in a faint yellowish-brown glow, the energy of Dig!

Bang!

Dig hit Blastoise hard, making it shudder and halting its Rapid Spin, knocking it back slightly.

But like the previous ambush, Dig struck the shell, causing limited damage.

"Hydro Pump! Hmm?" Red immediately commanded Blastoise to counterattack, but then frowned.

This time, Arbok didn't pause after the attack but lunged at the nearby Blastoise again, its long body wrapping around Blastoise's shell several times.

This was Normal-type Wrap, binding the opponent tightly.

Blastoise growled in discomfort, glaring at Arbok's head, which returned a cold stare.

"..." Red was silent.

In this situation, Hydro Pump couldn't hit Arbok since Blastoise used it either from its mouth or its back cannons.

But there were many ways to break Wrap.

"Withdraw."

Red calmly ordered, using Water-type Withdraw.

Blastoise's limbs and head retracted into its shell, and a white light glowed, boosting its defense by one level.

"Arbok! Thunder Fang!"

Dylan gestured to Arbok.

Arbok understood instantly, baring fangs crackling with electricity, though it was merely a feint.

Arbok thrust its head into Blastoise's shell, pretending to use Thunder Fang but actually spraying dark purple venom inside, covering Blastoise's retracted head.

Blastoise was bewildered. Wasn't it supposed to be Thunder Fang?

"Gyro Ball."

Red frowned, sensing something was wrong, but he couldn't let Arbok cling to Blastoise.

Despite the uncomfortable venom on its face, Blastoise began to spin rapidly.

Steel-type Gyro Ball!

A metallic sheen appeared on Blastoise, and the increasingly fast spinning made Arbok unable to hold on, flinging it to the ground.

Blastoise immediately turned to attack Arbok, but then a dark purple glow appeared on the Gyro Ball.

Red noticed this, his eyes narrowing. What was this?!

Gyro Ball's speed decreased, and though it hit Arbok, the impact wasn't strong due to the reduced speed.

Gyro Ball's power depends on the speed difference, and since Blastoise and Arbok had similar speeds, the move wasn't very powerful.

More importantly, Blastoise's unusual condition drew attention.

Blastoise extended its limbs and stood, eyes shut tightly, its face twisted in pain, clearly suffering from severe poisoning.

Its entire body flickered with a dark purple glow, with poison spots visible on its limbs and head.

Such obvious symptoms needed no explanation... it was poisoned!

And it was badly poisoned!

"..." Red frowned.

"What is this?"

"Poison! But when did it happen?"

"But Dylan didn't command Arbok to use Toxic!"

"Impressive~!"

Ash and the others were stunned and bewildered.

"Thunder Fang was a ruse. Toxic was the real attack."

Red understood now. If it were truly Thunder Fang, biting Blastoise would have spread the electricity.

The initial poisoning passed quickly, and Blastoise glared at Arbok, the poison's pain fresh in its memory.

If not for its strong will, it might not have been able to continue Gyro Ball.

But being poisoned made the battle difficult. Red's eyes flashed.

"Arbok, Earthquake!" Dylan smiled slightly.

Arbok's tail glowed yellow, smashing into the ground upon landing.

Boom!

Ground-type Earthquake!

The ground trembled, and the shockwaves spread out.

"Rapid Spin." Red quickly strategized.

Everything was going well, but the poison changed it. Toxic wasn't ordinary; its effects worsened over time.

Blastoise spun into the air, dodging the Earthquake.

Though it had just been poisoned, the damage wasn't too high yet, so Blastoise could still fight.

"Water Gun!"

Blastoise, mid-air, stretched out its head and limbs, and blue energy glowed in its mouth.

The next moment, a massive flood-like water stream gushed out, far more impressive than Surf.

"Ambush!"

Dylan opted for Ambush instead of Dig.

Arbok's eyes flashed with black light as it swiftly moved forward, fast as lightning.

Dark-type Ambush!

Arbok reached Blastoise's previous position quickly, just as Water Gun began to fall.

In the next moment, Arbok leapt, shooting towards the falling Blastoise.

"Blastoise! Withdraw!"

Red's voice was steady.

Withdraw, then counter with Hydro Pump, should work. But...

The worry became reality. Blastoise stopped Water Gun and tried to retract into its shell, but halfway through, the dark purple venom flared up again, causing excruciating pain and halting its movement.

The poison struck!

Bang!

Arbok's Ambush hit Blastoise's head, making it grunt and fall heavily to the ground.

"Earthquake!"

Arbok's tail glowed yellow again, smashing the ground upon landing.

Earthquake!

Boom!

The severe tremor, combined with the poison's erosion, caused Blastoise immense pain.

Hissing sounds from onlookers and Misty indicated their empathy.

Just watching, one could sense Blastoise's agony!

The series of attacks was terrifying!

(End of Chapter)